Blogging Lessons Learned

Blogging Lessons Learned is an interesting Jan. 10, 2008, New York Law Journal article by Jones Day Partner Mark Herrmann. He basically argues that blogs are great legal tools.He gives statistics where he book which was ranked 47,000 on Amazon.com shot up to number 434 after it was discussed on wallstree journal  law blog. He also argues that a blog can make you an expert. As Herrmann states:

Finally, the spoils: Blogging pays off.

It pays off in part by being a self-fulfilling prophecy. Whether or not you know anything about drug and device products liability law, you appear to be an expert in that field as of the day you launch the "Drug and Device Law Blog." Impressed by your expertise, and hoping that you'll mention them online, complete strangers begin sending you e-mails containing unpublished decisions, creative ideas and endless other tidbits relating to drug and device law. Eventually, your blog becomes a clearinghouse for information about the subject it covers. By staking a claim to some online turf, you gradually come to dominate that turf and to become an insider on events in that field.

Hosting a blog also raises your own personal profile. The print and broadcast media search the blogosphere for experts who can provide insights into current legal issues. If you want to be found, you must exist in the relevant world: Establish an online presence. My co-host and I have been interviewed in our year of blogging by the Wall Street Journal, The National Law Journal and countless papers in between.

I find myself in agreement with this  author. Blogging is good for lawyer business and its good for law professors as  it seeks  to educate the general public. Of course, it pays to get noticed by the Wall Street Journal Blog.

Mitchell H.  Rubinstein